Beyond the Bared Breast

Revisiting the Significance of Rudi Gernreich

By Alexander Joseph

Austrian-American designer Rudi Gernreich is best known for his topless bathing suit, or the ‘monokini’ as it was dubbed, embodied by Peggy Moffitt. However the designer's influence was more profound: from his involvement in the early strands of America’s gay rights movement, to his bold and often controversial statements he made as a designer that questioned the role of fashion...

Keywords: Mattachine Society, Peggy Moffitt, Rudi Gernreich, Swimsuit, Unisex

Fashion Through the Mobile Lens

Re-assessing the Fashion Image in an Era of Overexposure

The digital screen and fashion form the cornerstones of modern day consumer culture. Now the two are increasingly fused, but...

Consignment Maternity

By Lisa Locascio

Images by Hannah Starkey

Odile had learned that a pregnant woman in need of cheap vestments had precious few options in Scotts Valley, California....

The Bryanboy Gesture

Appropriation of the Fashion Blogger Pose

By Laura Gardner

The much-appropriated Bryanboy gesture – one hand at waist, hip cocked with the other hand is held high, proudly clutching...

Imagining Fashion

In Conversation with Adele Varcoe on the Performative Potential of Fashion

By Laura Gardner

Images by Phebe Schmidt

Performance is something integral to fashion, in industry, and our everyday experience: from catwalk presentations, photo shoots and red carpet...

The Birkin

Reflecting on the Luxury Icon and the Current Market

By Laura Gardner

In 2011, a ‘Birkin’ bag, the iconic Hermès made-to-measure travelgood, sold for a record price of $US203,000 at Heritage, an...

Mainbocher & the Decline of the Socialite

Reflecting on the Bygone Era of High Society

By Laura Gardner

A quick Google search on ‘socialite’ will inevitably come up with any number of recognisable faces from twenty-first century celebrity...